1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for updating a color-conversion table in an image processing apparatus based on a usage log of the image processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As seen with the enforcement of e-Document Law in Japan for promoting electronic documents in business environment, high quality of electronic data to be output and high quality of papers for outputting the electronic data are being required so that admissibility of evidence and authorized original of the electronic data can be assured at the same level of assurance that has been secured in current paper evidences. However, if there is an uncontrollable quality change for outputting the data, and if the quality change is occurred in a remote place, the quality of the electronic data to be output on the papers cannot be assured, resulting in making a generated document insufficient for required specifications.
In the area of image processing, technologies for reproducing same colors in output data from input data regardless of various effects such as a difference in apparatus characteristics, environmental variation, or aged deterioration are disclosed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-252392 discloses a technology for reproducing same colors regardless of the environmental variation or the aged deterioration by detecting tone-reproduction changes in an image output unit and changing input/output property. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H08-079546 discloses a technology for changing a parameter for a color gamut and setting a correct color gamut corresponding to conditions of various devices in an image processing apparatus or conditions of inks used in the apparatus, even when the color gamut is different for different apparatuses due to a difference in apparatus characteristics, the environmental variation, or the aged deterioration. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-346062 discloses a technology for converting acquired image data based on default color data to reproduce same colors, in a general color-management system for various input/output devices, regardless of the aged deterioration or the differences in devices.
For a security enhancement independently promoted by each enterprise, a trusted computing group (TCG) as an industry organization of the enterprises that provide technologies for personal computer (PC) platforms contributes to develop and promote new hardware/software having higher reliability and security. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-317026 discloses a technology with which the TCG determines a specification of a trusted platform module (TPM) chip related to a security chip for a computing platform.